Glowing Star of the Sea
by amiesuzie
Summary: "The star of the sea only glows if the stars shine down on it," she tells him, staring up into the night sky. "Maybe..." he pauses, staring down at the bright waters, "...but the brightest star only glows for the star of the sea." They look at one another and hold one another close in the cool of the morning as the world swirls around them. Sirius/Marlene Blackinnon


Well, here goes yet another story. Someday I will finish one of them... :-) I've tried to do an HP story before, but I've finally got one started that I actually like. So here goes...

And huge thanks to my awesome beta, THGFAN101, for checking my story out, be willing to help me, and teaching me some new things! :-D

Oh and J.K. Rowling owns it all! :-)

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A long, once elegant drive turned into a roughly seven kilometer winding country road. The road was lined on each side with beautiful trees creating a natural tunnel with sunshine streaming in between the leaves onto the old stone road. At the end of the drive, an ancient stone manor sat on the gravel shores of a glassy loch. The gardens and surrounding outbuildings were draped in ivy, encroaching into windows broken as the magic and life slowly left the estate. It had once stood tall and proud but now it only served as the home to rats and other vermin who wriggled inside through cracks in the thick walls. It held a somewhat mystical, haunted quality on the top of the grassy knoll.

The loch quietly stirred beyond the manor, small waves lapping on the shores. The Highlands of Scotland were as peaceful as they had been for centuries upon centuries. The brightly colored flowers of the fields surrounding the loch swayed with the long grass in the gentle summer breeze as they had been doing since before time was counted by muggles and wizards alike.

The entire estate was unkempt and slowly but surely returning to how it had been before the ancient pure-blood family had settled in the area several thousand years ago. The only difference from that time long ago and the present was the manor that was slowly being overtaken by nature creeping inside the house with the passage of time.

The laughter of children and loving conversation of friends and family left an empty silence inside the home. The remnants of broken furniture and scorch marks on the walls showed clearly the horrific battle that took place in the home, the night the family died at the hands of monsters. The most tragic view inside the house was the remaining shadow of a young girl crouching fearfully from the monsters in black cloaks.

The lone soul in the manor thought she could handle being there and seeing all of the horror remaining from the battle that had happened. Upon entering the upper bedroom in the west wing of the house and seeing the mural of children playing on broomsticks in a beautiful outdoor scene, she collapsed in a heap against the wall. Sobs wracked her body as the haunting nature of returning to her childhood home left her aching inside, completely oblivious to everything except the pain searing through her heart. The bedroom was left untouched by the battle that destroyed the rest of the house. This was almost worse, though. All it did was remind her of the innocence and purity of the home and family she had lost and of the little sister who would be forever remembered in the burnt shadow in the wine cellar.

The dark haired man silently entered the room, kneeling down next to the young woman. He wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed. Both of her hands wrapped around his forearm and clung to him tightly. Her sobs slowly came to a stop as she leaned her head into his chest and sighed in hopeless relief.

Her companion kissed her on the forehead gently and pulled her to her feet as he stood. He led her out of the manor, keeping her close to his side, as if to protect her from the ghosts and memories hiding within the cold walls. They walked out of the library door and onto the patio overlooking the loch. The full moon cast an eerie glow across the loch as the stars reflected dimly off the watery surface.

He maneuvered the woman in front of him and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against himself. She leaned back against his strong frame and looked up at the stars. She smiled sadly as her eyes quickly found her favorite star. It blinked rapidly at her as if to wink with its multitude of secrets. She looked back at her companion over her shoulder but he was looking at the loch instead.

"What are you looking at?" her voice croaks from disuse, breaking the silence between them.

"The stars of the sea, love," he answers her quietly. "You see me in the stars above and I see you in the sea."

She smiles and leans her head back against his chest. "Perhaps we will survive all of this madness after all somewhat intact."

He chuckled and kissed her temple lovingly, squeezing her tighter in his protective embrace. The couple, in spite of the death, despair, and war all around them, held tightly onto the promises of the past, promises of the present, and the promises of the future.

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Please read and review friends!


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